Understood
by TheRavenclawNinja
Summary: Penelope Clearwater just might be the only one who truly understands Percy Weasley. Written for kyota-chan's "Aboard The Love Boat" challenge. 75 drabbles. Percy/Penelope. UPDATED!: "Pink"
1. thief

-1_written for kyota-chan's "all aboard the love boat" challenge_

_prompt 45: thief_

**Penelope's POV**

I've lost my Percy. He left me at midnight, finally picking his side. Nine hours later, he hasn't come back.

Hogwarts is radiant with victory despite the blood on the stairs and the bodies in the Hall.

One body is achingly familiar. He has a gash on his forehead clotted with crimson and that Weasley-red hair. It's Fred.

Percy, my ever capable Percival, is sitting cross-legged, staring into his dead brother's lifeless eyes.

"Penny," he murmurs. "He's gone."

"I'm so sorry." I find hot tears welling in my eyes.

"You shouldn't be here." he says more firmly.

"Percy, no one's out to get me now."

"No, I mean you shouldn't be here." He nods at me.

"Percy, no one, _no one_, is going to get our baby." I whisper gravely.

He looks up at me. His deep blue eyes are dead. "Sorry," he mumbles.

He's gone, gone to another world, debilitated by grief and shock. Someone has stolen my Percy.

**A/N:** In my view, Penny is 5 months pregnant; please see Lady Altair's _This Is My Family_ for my spark for that idea. You won't be sorry! Any way, next one will either be "dress robes", "bouillabaisse", or "secret". What would you like to see? Tell me in a REVIEW!


	2. secret

-1_prompt 40: secret_

"Ginny, you can't tell anyone. ANYONE."

"Like anyone would believe that you had a girlfriend, Perce," she giggled.

Percy could not deny her point. "Well, just don't go off and tell anyone, okay?"

"Fine," she sighed as she trotted down the hall, disappearing around the corridor into the crypts of the dungeons.

"Percival Ignatius Weasley!" whispered a stern voice, interrupting Percy's thoughts.

He spun around. At the end of the deserted hall was none other than Penny herself, smirking.

"Percy, I can't believe you've sworn your poor little sister into secrecy."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"I didn't realize you were desperate," she laughed as he walked toward her.

"Do I need to be?" he whispered; they were now face to face.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Some things are better kept secret."

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**A/N: **I like reviews.


	3. dress robes

-1_prompt 28: dress robes_

**Percy's POV**

I'm not enjoying myself. In this realm, I'm a humorless Ministry bureaucrat. The Yule Ball is not for having fun; for Merlin's sake, I can't even network here!

Penny, though, would love this. She'd find insurmountable joy in dressing up in a lady-like dress and dancing the night away. If only this were a year ago…

She'd wear royal purple (the color looks blissful with her deep brown hair) and I'd wear…well, I don't know what I'd wear, but it wouldn't be Ron's dress robes, for sure. We'd dance and laugh and kiss and maybe even do more than kiss…

But it's too late now--much too much fun for a humorless Ministry bureaucrat.

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**A/N: **Ah, Percy. His words just spill out of my mouth. Next up will most likely be "portrait". Also, I enjoy reviews! So leave them! Please!


	4. portrait

-1_prompt 55-portrait_

"Oh, Violet, Valentine's Day is just my favorite! " said the Fat Lady as her best friend came into her portrait.

"I know…You've told me every February 14th for 436 years." scoffed her friend.

"But it's bee so lovely this year!" the Fat Lady replied.

"Oh, yes, some very juicy couples. Who's your favorite right now?"

"Hmm…Cedric Diggory and the Chang girl?" the Fat Lady pondered.

"I've had my eye out for them…" Violet trailed off. "I know!" she exclaimed. "Percy Weasley and Penelope Clearwater!"

"Ooh, that one's good, you're right, Violet."

"Oh, they're so romantic. I can't believe they've managed to keep it a secret."

"Prefects are good at things like that." the Fat Lady said.

"Good point…but his little sister caught them in the Charms room the other day--that's what Cadogan told me."

"Oh, don't believe him, he's such a gossip."

"I'll ask the Mermaid, then. I bet it's true." Violet scoffed.

"Look, Violet, here he comes!"

Percy was walking down the hall at a brisk pace.

"Let's ask him!" Violet whispered excitedly.

The Fat Lady sighed.

"Amortentia," said Percy, reciting the password.

"Not so fast, Mr. Weasley," said Violet.

"What exactly is the _nature_ of the relationship between you and Penelope Clearwater?" inquired the Fat Lady.

His face quickly rouged. "Erm…that's none of your business!" he retorted.

"Oh, please." The Fat Lady rolled her eyes as she swung open to let him in.

Percy shook his head. "Stupid portraits."

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**A/N:** I'm not sure what the next one will be; I'm working on some other stuff at the moment. BUT I do like reviews. So leave them. OK???


	5. socks

-1_prompt 14: socks_

"They hate me," he said pathetically.

"They don't hate you, Percy. You've just been a total dickhead and they can't forgive you right now," Penelope said, smiling.

"Well, my mum was happy to see me," Percy shrugged.

"Percy, your mother would love you even if you murdered your bothers."

"They'd like to murder me."

Penny giggled. "With mashed parsnips?"

"Shut up!" he said irritably.

"Oh please, Percy. It's Christmas." She rolled her eyes. "Speaking of Christmas…"

"Yes?" He was intrigued. He'd been waiting for the right moment….

"I learned how to knit!" she exclaimed.

He laughed. "Is that the sort of thing the Muggle Relations office is up to now?"

"Oh, you'll see…one minute!" she said as she left the room.

Percy heard some rummaging; presumably in her large green bag she took everywhere, and then she returned, bouncing onto the sofa with a bright grin on her face.

"Sooo…?" Percy said.

"Socks!" she cried, holding up a pair of red and gold knitted…things. "For you!" she said, putting them into his hand.

He began to laugh. "Socks?"

"I know!"

He put them on his bare feet and wriggled his toes. "They're fantastic."

Penny put her head on his shoulder. "Maybe I'll make you a sweater next year."

He ignored her comment. "Penny?"

"Yeah?"

"I've got something for you, too."

He pulled a small box out of his pocket and placed it in her palm.

She looked slightly puzzled. "Socks?" she said, smiling.

"Not exactly," Percy couldn't help but grin. "Go on, open it."

She opened the box, slowly, like she didn't want to ruin the surprise. When she saw what was inside, she gasped.

It was a diamond ring.

She sat there for a moment, mouth open in shock.

"This is a lot better than socks."

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**A/N:** P/P fluff is much more fun than I thought it would be. I enjoyed writing it, and I hope you enjoyed reading it. You could always say it in a REVIEW:)


	6. journal

_prompt 65: journal_

Penny keeps a diary. She does not call it a diary; she calls it a _journal_. She says the word "diary" is for teenagers and emotionally crippled people. 

It's a normal Muggle object--bound in a worn brown leather, faint yellow pages which try to be parchment but fail miserably. It sits on the coffee table. I don't ever touch it. There's no official rule that says I can't. I simply do not. 

It's her only refuge in this one-bedroom flat in West London. All the thoughts and stories that she would usually tell to living people go into her journal, the only thing other than me who's willing to listen to a locked-up Mudblood. 

The temptation is far too much. I touch it. I more than touch it, I flip the smooth pages, reading the paper stained with ink, and, every few pages, tears. 

I fumble with the unassuming pen attached to the binding and turn to a blank page. 

_Penny, _I write,_ when we get out of this mess I'll buy you a million journals so you can write your memoirs as the caged Mudblood, longing to sing but too afraid they'll find you. When we get married, I'll buy you a million journals so you can write about our lavish and girly wedding then another million so you can write about what an annoying husband I am. When we have the baby, I'll buy you a million journals so you can tell them about your beautiful baby, and maybe a couple dozen to detail the hardships of motherhood--maybe you can give them to my mother! Well, anyway, the whole idea behind that was that I'll buy you a million journals because I love you. _

I put the cap back on the pen with a note of finality, sigh, and put the book back on the table. 

Hours later when she wakes up, she reads it and she cries. Another tear-stained page in the book of sorrows. 

**A/N: This chapter may be edited later if A CERTAIN SOMEONE emails me back!! In the mean time, you could always write a REVIEW! **


	7. parchment

_prompt 54: parchment _

**Penny's POV**

_part of the Raven's Four universe: Christmas holidays 2009_

_**a/n: check my profile for info about the raven's four!**_

"It's just a bit of parchment, isn't it?" 

Laughter was heard. "Much more than that!"

I slumped my head into my hand and stirred my tea again. Why did I let Ophelia's friends come over? Ravenclaws are much more disorderly than I remember--Oliver Wood's son already broke one of my coffee cups and the auburn-haired girl (Juno! That's her name!) is just plain odd. 

I straightened up and craned my neck around the kitchen doorway so that my daughter and her accomplices were in sight. They were grouped around the coffee table, sitting cross-legged and ogling a very old bit of parchment that Ted (who was basically my nephew) was holding. 

"Where'd you get it?" Juno whispered. 

"Uncle Harry gave it to me," he said proudly. 

Ophelia looked suspicious of the item. "What does it do?"

Ted smirked. "I solemnly swear I am up to no good," he whispered, holding his wand against the worn parchment. 

I couldn't see what happened, but the children gasped. 

"A map!" the Wood boy said excitedly. 

"The Marauder's Map," Ted corrected. 

"Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs proudly present…"Ophelia mumbled. "This must be illegal. Who are these men, anyway?" 

Ted hesitated. "Uh, my dad, and Uncle Harry's dad, and their best friends, one of them went bad and died, the other kind of…well, he's dead, too." 

Juno traced the parchment with her fingers. "Oh, this could get us into _so _much trouble," she said with a grin. 

Suddenly, I felt a soft touch on my shoulder. 

"Eavesdropping again?" a voice breathed into my ear. 

I turned around. "Nothing interesting."

Percy stepped into the living room anyway. I heard the crinkling of parchment and some tense "erms". 

"Erm…hi, Dad," Ophelia said nervously. 

I could just picture Percy's mock-oblivious grin. 

"What're you guys doing?" he said cheerfully. 

"Nothing," the four said quickly. 

"Oh, but what's that parchment? Looks like a map." 

"Just for…homework," Ophelia said hastily. 

"Homework…okay. Just don't get into any trouble, all right?" my husband said in innocent tones. 

"Sure, Mr. Weasley. No trouble here," said Oliver's son (What _was_ his name?). 

He appeared in the kitchen again. "Were Ravenclaws always this much trouble?'

"Not that I remember." 

"Mischief managed!" whispered a stern voice. 

Percy's eyes sparkled. "Mischief managed? Remind me to ask Harry about a certain map on Monday." 

**A/N: **Thanks for everyone's reviews so far. I really appreciate it, honestly! 


	8. china

_prompt 58: china_

"Oh, Merlin."

"Is that what I think it is?"

"It's a kitten, Percy. A kitten," the newlywed Penelope Clearwater said pointedly.

"That is SO Muriel." Percy shook his head. He was sorely tempted to pick up the kitten-adorned china plate and throw it against the nearest wall; the shatters of his great-aunt's wedding present would bring him more joy than any other gift they had received.

But Penny swiped it out of his hands before he had the chance. She held the frolicking kitten in front of the chubby baby on her lap.

"Look, Phelia. Look at the kitty!" she cooed at her six-month-old daughter.

Ophelia poked the plate with her fat fingers a few times, but soon lost interest in favor of her mother's long, curly hair.

"See! Even she thinks it's stupid," Percy said, picking up and unwrapped gift.

"You're right. Should we keep it?" his wife said with a shrug.

Percy was just about to cast it aside when a small owl came through the open window, going so fast it brought a breeze to the hot June air.

Ophelia giggled and clapped her hands together as the bird dropped a lilac envelope onto the coffee table.

He picked it up and opened it hastily. Inside the envelope was a small and similarly lilac card which was written on in looping silver script.

_Ronald Bilius Weasley_

_and_

_Hermione Jane Granger_

_Request your presence at their wedding ceremony_

_August 19, 2000_

_at the Burrow_

Penny craned her neck to see the card. Percy chuckled and handed it to her.

"Ever heard of re-gifting, Penny?"

* * *

**A/N:** I wrote that in a space of about 15 minutes before I went to bed last night, which I thought was pretty impressive. The next installments may take a turn for the melancholy; I've been listening to a lot of Deerhunter lately. Please review!


	9. candle

_prompt 41: candle_

**A/N: **Candles don't really have a lot to do with the plot of this, but I mentioned them several times, and I got the plot idea and I just couldn't shake it. Some of you Torchwood fans will recognize this dialogue :)

--

The corridor was deserted except for flickering light from the enchanted candelabrums, the minimal light of which did not reveal the patrolling prefects at the end of the hall.

"Do you think they've noticed that we've patrolled together every week for the past two months?" Penelope whispered.

"Yes," Percy replied with a smile.

They had known each other before, being in the same year, but prefect status had tied them together; she was one of the few who would put up with him, and he was desperate for good company, and moreover, she was beautiful.

They turned the corner silently and looked down the similarly vacant hall. Penny folded her arms.

"Let's go to the library," she said, raising her eyebrows mischievously.

* * *

Percy inhaled deeply, looking for that beloved scent: books.

"I love libraries," he said absently.

Penny laughed. "It's really a shame they don't have many Muggle books here."

She began scaling the shelves, looking a leather-bound volumes by wand-light. She crouched down, scanning the lowest shelf until she pulled a slim hardback out, stood up, and handed it to Percy.

"Read it. You'll like it," she stated with inarguable authority.

He flipped the cover over--_The Picture of Dorian Gray_. He'd never read a Muggle novel before, but it was a place to start, and it gave him something to talk about with Penny.

Her faint smile, shrouded in warm candlelight, gave Percy some much-needed confidence.

"Erm…so, Penny, I was thinking, next weekend's Hogsmeade, and maybe you wanted to…erm, go with me?" It came out better than he had hoped. But that didn't mean she'd say yes.

She put her hands on her hips. Was she angry at him? "Are…are you asking me out on a date?"

Percy felt his heart sink. _This_ was what true rejection felt like. "Erm…yes."

She grinned. "As long as it's not in a library. Some fetishes should be kept to yourself."

Percy wasn't sure whether he had been accepted or not, but for some reason, he didn't press any further.

"Hm…ten-thirty. Patrol's over," Penny said brightly, holding her lit wand near Percy's watch.

He walked her back to Ravenclaw Tower; he always did. Just as she turned to consult the door-knocker, Percy decided that he wouldn't be able to sleep without conformation that he had, most unfortunately, been turned down.

"Penny…was that a yes?"

She laughed softly, causing dark curls to fall over her eyes. "Most definitely."


	10. peace

_prompt 68: peace_

**Penny's POV**

I like the dark. The peace of the still night keeps the noise, the light, and even those silences that say so much, away.

But tonight, in this dead black night, there is no peace to found. Voices come back, flooding my head with things I thought I've heard but lost somewhere in the files of my mind.

I hear my mother, disapproving. I hear Molly, ecstatic. But most of all, I hear him say _"You're…what?"_ only to hear myself reply with a tearful _"Pregnant." _Over and over and over again.

Trapped in small apartment, pregnant, while a war rages on the outside, my kind is chained and killed, and my boyfriend is saving them, risking his life to the point where I'd think him mad if he weren't so damn noble.

I have taken peace for granted. And now, that dark and hushed peace of the night is too far away for me to reach out and grab it.

* * *

**A/N: **Angst! I know, I was surprised I did it, too. Now, the question is, did I do it well? Tell me in a review!


	11. statue

_prompt 25: statue_

**Penny's POV**

It's a quite solemn affair for such a simple monument. The mourners don't hold back; a thousand tears have fallen today and it's only three o' clock.

Percy says it's his fault Fred Weasley is etched in that stone, that he cannot be here to cry for his fallen friends today. Percy's such an idiot.

The whole damn family is a sobbing mess. They all choose to come here and stare death in the face, their tears trying to bring back someone who's gone. They _should_ be Fleur's bedside, celebrating their brand-new Weasley, cheering for life instead of blubbering for death.

Ophelia begins to wail after a while; not surprising considering the unhealthy amount of pathetic despair in the atmosphere. I hold her close, clinging to my last bit of happiness, my statue of joy.

* * *

**A/N:** Yes, the Weasleys have a really hard time moving on. And yes, Penny thinks they're irrational. I'm not saying I agree or disagree. The character has taken a life of their own.


	12. black gloves

_prompt 27: black gloves_

Greenhouse Three had never been noted for its romantic qualities, for it had none. It was damp, smelled of dirt and sour milk, and held the deadliest plants Hogwarts was allowed to have.

Thus, it was not a particularly good place to be holding Penelope Clearwater's hand. Despite this, her fingers were firmly clamped to Percy Weasley's. Percy noted the bothersome presence of the coal-black dragonhide gloves the pair were both wearing; he could not feel the glowing warmth of her palms he had become accustomed to during their now three-month relationship.

His attention shifted from the grotesque slug-devouring plant he had been absently observing to Penny, who was a few inches away from him, gazing at a plant identical to his. Her tangled curls were assembled into a messy bun, stray spirals jetting out in all directions. She seemed to sense someone was looking at her; she caught Percy's eye for only a second before she turned back and relaxed her grip.

After a few moments, she let go altogether. "Damn glove," she whispered, pulling the glove off just as the omnipresent Hogwarts clocks chimed out the end of the class. Percy slowly removed his, too, and for a split second examined the worn leather of the gloves; they had been Bill's, like everything else he had, a hand-me-down. He stuffed the gloves into his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

Unexpectedly, a hand, warm but a bit dry, gently clasped his. "Much better," Penny sighed from Percy's side. "Those gloves dry out my hands."

"Mine too," Percy replied dreamily, reveling in the April sunshine of the grounds, and, more importantly, that glowing feeling he got when she held his hand.

--

**A/N:** I apologize about the one-month hiatus of this story. Had I gotten a few more reviews, I would have been more eager to work on this. So, if you like this and want to see it go on, please review, even if you just say "I like this story." It really makes an author's day. :)


	13. quill

_prompt 54: quill_

**Penny's POV**

The day Percy Weasley began using Ministry-approved quills was the day my life became complicated.

He waved the red-tinted quills in my face pompously announcing that he started at the Department of International Magical Cooperation on Monday and he was working for Barty Crouch. You know, _the _Barty Crouch. The businesslike demeanor he had kept up all week faded; he was giddy now, looking like that seventeen-year-old he had hidden away.

Percy had been born a middle-aged bureaucrat, but this was the day it became official. The Ministry-approved quills were his first wedding ring--married to the Ministry, married to his job.

As he fills out his first piece of Ministry paperwork on Ministry-approved parchment with Ministry-approved quills, I can't help but think he'll only be married once.


	14. key

_prompt 62: key _

God, I've missed him.

It's been strange these past few months, to wake up in the morning and realize you don't share a bed anymore, to make tea and realize you only need one cup instead of two.

So I came back.

Yes, it's a little pathetic to be sitting on your ex's couch, reading the same Chekhov play you began the day you left him, waiting for him to come home so you can tell him you love him and you miss him and you want to come back.

But he's all I've got and I'm all he's got.

I hear footsteps, fiddling keys, a doorknob turn, and he walks in. And then he stops and stares at me.

I can't help myself. I run at him and envelope him in a hug so forceful he hits the wall behind him. Before he can even think of what to say, I beat him to it.

"I love you, Percy. Even if you're an idiot."

And then he kisses me like he's never kissed me before and the only thing I can think is "It's good to be home."

"How did you get in?" he says when he breaks it off, eyebrows raised in suspicion.

I smile. "I've always had a key, Percy. The key to your flat and the key to your heart."

_xoxoxoxo_

**A/N:** OK, so, yeah. I wrote this at 2 am and it un-beta'd. If you see any mistakes, please point them out. I won't be offended. Also, I realize that that last line was a little cheesy. I've been listening to a lot of Jens Lekman lately swoons.


	15. rain

_prompt 18: rain_

He could hear rain beginning to patter softly on the windowpanes; a comforting sound, like his mother's singing or whispers in the early morning. He heard it just as the last book was placed on the shelf, Penny's last act of charity in helping him move into his cramped little London flat.

"Perfect, no?" she said mockingly as she jumped onto the couch. She took a deep smell of the upholstery. "Is this new?"

Percy sat down next to her. "I think so," he shrugged.

"I wish it was old. I like old things," she replied dreamily.

"Well, all the nice old things are rather expensive." His ears perked up again--the rain had picked up, pounding violently against his window.

Thunder began to roar. Penny cuddled up next to him, her dark curls spilling over his shoulder--she was frightened of thunderstorms.

Her cheek was warm, even oh his shirt. He could smell her weird herbal shampoo, and he was certain that it would go down as the best moment of his life.

"What time is it?" Penny mumbled.

Percy was extremely reluctant to answer. "Nine thirty-four."

She pulled herself away from him and rubbed her eyes repeatedly, a curious ritual that was almost childlike. "I need to get home. Simon and Margaret will wonder what I've been up to."

He grimaced. "Are you sure you have to go?"

"Any longer and it would be awfully suspicious," she blushed.

"Suspicious? An innocent sleepover?"

"Have a feeling 'innocent' was the correct word." She pecked him on the cheek as she got off the couch; then paused and kissed him on the lips.

Percy drowned himself in her little nuanced smells, not even noticing his front door closing.

Until he remembered something very important.

OOO

The rain was a full-blown pour by now, soaking Percy so relentlessly it looked as though he had just climbed out a swimming pool fully clothed. Everyone else on the street had umbrellas--and was looking at him strangely for jogging in the rain--but Percy really didn't care. His mind was on something else entirely.

He finally caught up with her a block away from her parent's row house. "Penny!" he called out.

She turned around quickly, an inexplicable look on her face.

"Percy?" she said when he got closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," he replied, stepping under her umbrella. "I just forgot this." He pulled a lone key out of his pocket. It was tied on a long green ribbon.

When she took it in her hands, Penny smiled. "Where did you get this? The ribbon, I mean."

Percy smirked. "Do you remember a certain October evening, lakeside, very romantic?"

She blushed. "Of course."

"Well, your hair ribbon fell out that night, and I kept it. I thought it may come in handy some day."

Abruptly, she pulled his lips to hers and kissed him, right there in the rain. Percy distinctly remembered being told that it was every girl's dream to be kissed in the rain, and he was only too glad to indulge.

BOOOOM! A clap of thunder made Penny jump back. She looked genuinely taken aback by the sudden noise, and Percy could not help but laugh. She rolled her eyes.

She put her lips to his ear and whispered "I love you," and then walked away, twirling the ribbon and the key on hr index finger.

Percy watched her for a moment, then turned back. He didn't notice the rain the entire time.

OOO

**A/N: **Please review! Next up is "pink", and it is most definitely a comedy involving Molly and pink lace underwear!


	16. blood pops

_prompt 13: blood pops_

Only on special occasions did Penelope sneak into the Gryffindor common room. It was a covert operation, pulled off successfully only with a strict timetable and set of precautions in place. For prefects, we were awfully good at sneaking around.

For this occasion, we chose the "dead of night" plan; it seemed the most appropriate for the eve of Halloween. I tiptoed down the boys' dormitory stairs to the common room to find Penny stretched out on the sofa with a lollipop in her mouth in front of a roaring fire.

She giggled when she saw me in my pajamas, even though I painstakingly decided on my bespoke striped pair.

"You look like a prisoner with the stripes," she teased.

My only reply was an eye roll.

"Don't start with me, young man," she mocked, taking another lick of her bright red lollipop. "These Blood Pops are delicious."

"I'm sorry?" I replied, incredulous.

She put her feet on my lap as I sat down. "Blood Pops. Cho Chang gave me one. It's delicious."

"You do know those are for vampires, right?"

She smiled. "Maybe I'm a vampire."

"Please don't suck my blood," I sighed.

"You'd better watch out. I'm a very accomplished sucker." I felt my face turn pink. Was it getting hot in here or something?

"Here, try it." She stuffed the Blood Pop in my face.

I took a cautious lick. It was salty and generally unpleasant. I handed it back. "No, thanks."

Penny continued to suck on it anyway, the red liquid coating her lips. It was far too much to bear.

Before either of us knew it, she was on her back and her Blood Pop-coated tongue was in my mouth. Never did blood taste so good.

It was another instant and she was out from under me and had disappeared through the portrait hole, a fresh Blood Pop in her mouth, leaving me with a high temperature and a bloody lip.

OOO

**A/N:** It's nice to get back to prompts. I'll continue with candy prompts if I feel inspired, but the next one up will likely be "pink", if I ever get it revised. I'm also continuing work on two larger projects. Until then, I will survive on nothing but Blood Pops and REVIEWS!


	17. thirteen

_prompt 39: thirteen_

Fourteen little stones, arranged in a row on a scale of size. Seven pairs of perfectly cut, glittered-best-in-artificial-light, Tiffany, Cartier, Harry Winston, Chopard, Van Cleef and Arpels, seven pairs of diamond earrings.

That was usually how the centerpieces of Penelope Clearwater-Weasley's jewelry collection could be described.

But not on a particular December Wednesday, a day on which she opened her fine, replica-of-one-in-Versailles jewelry box to find thirteen diamond earrings. Six and a half pairs. her three-carat Cartier pair, with a perfect precision princess cut, set in platinum, purchased on January 1st, 2006 in Paris, France, for 7,000 Euros, was now halved.

"PERCY!!!" she shrieked.

Her ginger-haired, bespectacled husband ran into their bedroom.

"What's wrong?"

She had trouble spitting out the words. "S-someone took my three-carat Cartiers!"

He peered into the jewelry box. "I find that hard to believe. Why would someone only take one earring out of fourteen?"

She stopped for a moment, then started sobbing. "Someone took my Cartier, Percy!"

"It's only an earring. It's not like you were in love with it," he rationalized.

"I -I love that earring! It-it's a p-perfect p-precision p-p-princess cut set in p-platinum! I can't help it, earrings are my o-only weakness!"

Her husband rolled his Weasley blue eyes and took out his wand.

"Accio earring!"

Nothing happened.

"Be more sp-specific," Penny said.

"Accio three-carat Cartier diamond earring, set in platinum."

Nothing happened.

She flung herself onto the bed and wailed loudly.

"Maybe you lost it somewhere.." Percy said, dismally failing at being comforting yet again.

Her only reply was another sob.

OOO

Penny sat in bed most of the day, Summoning fudge ice cream bars and coming up with excuses for going shopping.

Percy found her in such a state when he came home from work.

Being careful not to mention the seven wooden sticks piled next to her pillow, he handed her a small black box.

She sniffled. "You don't need to buy me things to make me feel better. I usually take care of that."

"OK, then I'll take it back."

She moved her hands away from him. "No, no it's fine." She opened the box.

Inside was a single three-carat Cartier, precision princess cut, set in platinum, earring.

"PERCY!!!!" she shrieked.

OOO

**A/N**: Well, I hope everyone saw that ending coming.


	18. pink

_**prompt 3: pink**_

The sensation of total silence was rather unsettling to Percy after weeks and weeks of the Department of International Magical Cooperation. Penny had insisted that he needed to rest, and she was right, he miraculously thought. Besides, he was exceptionally drained after the second Triwizard Task, and the schmoozing that went along with it, the day before.

There was rarely any silence at home, either; Penny, who had moved it just after Christmas, always had some sort of background noise on, usually the Wizarding Wireless Network, but when she bored with that, the BBC—she maintained a strong connection with the Muggle world. It was all very foreign to Percy, but he accepted it, even enjoyed it (she preferred Muggle clothes, which often tended to be short). However, as Penny had gone to Oxford to visit her Muggle sister today, the radio was not on and Percy had no legs to ogle.

Lack of Penny made it rather boring. He contemplated all the things he could do today—he could go shopping for new quills, but he had no money; he could go to Puddlemere United's match today, but he didn't feel up to the crowds; or he could jump off a bridge, but that was too dangerous.

Suddenly, just as he has gotten up to make a cup of coffee, a large grey lump of feathers hit the closed kitchen window but remained airborne just long enough for Percy to let in. It fell onto the counter in a fashion similar to a sack of wet cement.

"Pleasure to see you too, Errol," he said drolly.

The owl gave a low hoot as Percy removed the note from its leg and tore it open. In his mother's looping, sprawling hand, he read

_ Percy-_

_ Your father and I will be in London tomorrow and we would love to visit. We'll be there at noon._

_ Love, Mum_

Percy glanced at his watch. 11:37, it read. Fuck.

He didn't fancy his parents knowing that he lived with Penny; Mum, especially, would be furious.

He sprang into action, ransacking their flat for Penny's possessions and stuffing them into drawers, cabinets and available crannies a breakneck pace.

In addition to his desire to avoid his parents' judgment, Percy also realized that there was another reason behind his concealment—he had, and had always had, a bizarre love of secrets. The realization hit him like a large bag of feathers—unsettling, but certainly harmless. He had quite a lot of his life, or at least his feelings, entirely closed off to others; even Penny did not know all the nuances of his increasingly idiosyncratic personality. He understood her much better than she did him, as she was prone to musing about herself when they lay in bed together late at night, and she occasionally would speculate on him, but Percy, simply entertained her, never taking her flickers of midnight psychoanalysis seriously.

Still, though, Percy was far too busy with shoving Muggle Relations protocol papers into drawers to contemplate his own personality.

At noon exactly, there was a sharp rap on the door. Even more bizarrely, an owl flew through the kitchen window Percy had absentmindedly left open and dropped its delivery right into his hands.

It was addressed to Weatherby, he noted as he opened the door. He was immediately presented with his stout mother, clad in her favorite purple dress and star-spangled witch's hat.

"Hello, Percy, dear," she said cheerfully, looking him up and down. He looked as though he had just woken up, and he had, not even an hour ago, so he had not really registered that he was wearing pajama bottoms and a t-shirt and that his deep auburn hair was more askew than ever (thanks to Penny, who had things on her mind other than sleeping last night). He was certain Molly noticed, but she said nothing.

She stepped across the threshold, taking her hat off and setting on a sizable portion of the precious little kitchen counter space, and bustled to make tea.

"How's work?" she said offhandedly over her shoulder.

"Fine," Percy replied quickly. "Where's Dad?"

She opened the cabinets and inspected Percy's mugs. "Oh, he got a call. Something about an alarm clock that explodes to wake the poor user. Hopefully he'll be able to make an arrest, it might help him get a promotion."

_Fat chance of that_, Percy though, even though he didn't want to. His father had not gotten a promotion since Percy was nine years old.

Molly turned around to face him and handed him a steaming mug. "I'm worried about, Percy," she said candidly.

He sputtered. "W-why?"

"You work far too hard," she sighed. "I just don't want to see you waste your life away on a job."

He felt himself getting defensive; a natural reflex for him, honed so well one would think he actively practiced it. "Well, Mum," he started, a little louder than he had intended. "I've got to work hard if I'm going to prove myself in the Ministry. Impressing Mr. Crouch means everything. His backing can be very helpful."

He was sure his mother was well aware of Crouch's long fall off the face of the earth, but she clearly chose not to pursue that tangent. "I think you should do what makes you happy," she said lightly. "Just don't forget to settle down so I can have some grandchildren."

"You've got six other opportunities, don't forget."

She smiled and put her mug down. "All of my sons, all they do is joke, I haven't had a straight answer out of one of them since they started talking!" She started walking away. "Excuse me."

She took the four scant steps to the bathroom. Percy went in the opposite direction and sat down haphazardly on the couch, sipping his tea. Half a moment later, the bathroom door flung open. His mother appeared, a pair of pink lace panties hanging off her index finger.

Pink lace panties. _Penny's_ pink lace panties, her favorite pair, Percy realized with a jolt, and consequently, his favorite, too.

He stood up quickly. "They aren't mine!"

She gave him a reproachful look. "I would certainly hope not."

"I…I don't know whose they are." He could feel himself getting intensely red.

Molly eyes narrowed. "Yes, you do. Are you having girls over here? You're only 19, you know, and fooling around like this is not going to do you any favors. I knew I shouldn't have let you move out! I—"

"Do I really look like someone who would do that, Mum, honestly?" he replied accusingly.

"I don't know what to expect from you anymore, Percy!" she shrieked.

Suddenly, as Molly was advancing on him, the front door opened and Penny appeared, her back turned to the bizarre scene behind her.

"I tell my dear sister that I'm coming up to Oxford to see her and we're going to be happy and she's like 'GREAT' and then I get up there and she's not eve bloody there," she said, oblivious; however, she sputtered as she turned around.

"Oh, bloody hell," she said slowly. "Percy, is that your mother with my underwear?"

All three of them were lost for words momentarily.

"I think so," Percy muttered.

"Sweet Jesus," Penny said under her breath, another one of those odd Muggle phrases she used.

Molly eyed her carefully—they stood in a triangle, all wondering what was going to happen next.

"Who are you?" Molly said finally with a note of suspicion. She was clearly taking in Penny's every detail, her deep brown curly hair, newly shorn short, her prim nose and carnation-pink lips, everything down to the buckle on her boots, trying to remember her identity.

Penny straightened a bit. "I'm Penelope Clearwater, Mrs. Weasley."

She strode towards Molly, snatched her underwear out of her hand, and strode into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Molly's face was beet red. "You're still dating her?" she murmured.

"Yes, I'm still dating her!" he replied, outraged. And then, "I'm living with her!"

Her face hardened, losing all the warmth Percy had always known it to have. It was unsettling. But he knew exactly why—had Molly liked Penny, she would have been more or less at peace with the arrangement. However, in their one previous meeting, Penny and Molly had managed to leave each other with general dislike towards the other. Percy remembered it all, almost fondly.

It was just after Christmas a year ago (though it felt like absolute eternity). Percy and Penny sat at the kitchen table with Ginny, eating leftover Christmas cake and giving his young sister advice. Percy distinctly remembered having his hand under the table, toying with the hem of Penny's dress. The relative peace was interrupted when Molly came raging in, screaming once again at Fred and George about explosions and joke shops and O..

Penny, who had already been turned off by Molly's motherly coddling of Percy and overly warm welcome (Penny was not the mothering type, nor did she like those who were), listened intently, and her expression soured with every moment. Just as the twins began to offer their rebuttal, she stupidly, impulsively, regrettably, began to speak.

"Mrs. Weasley, don't you think starting a shop is a worthy goal?" The twins' faces lightened. "I mean, education is not cut out for everyone. It appears to me that that Fred and George have some talent for that sort of magic, so why not support them in something they enjoy?" Looking back, Percy realized that she had been entirely rational, but her to tone packed a small little whipcrack, as if she was telling his mother off. Penny left shortly after Molly stormed out of the room, and neither of them had spoken of each other since, although the twins urged Percy to marry Penny.

Back in the present, however, the opposite had occurred, and now his mother was about to tell _him_ off.

"I can't believe you!" she said sternly. "How long have you been with her? Six months?"

"Two and a half years," Percy replied, cutting her off.

"A Hogwarts thing, Percy, clearly!" she scoffed.

He tried his hardest not to lose his temper. "I seem to remember another 'Hogwarts thing' between, oh, I don't know, Arthur Weasley and Molly Prewett?"

"That was different!" she defended.

"Oh, sure."

"Fine," she sniffed. "I've got to go to Diagon Alley to pick up some things." She picked up her hat. "Please think it over," she said finally as she walked out of the door.

The moment the lock clicked, Penny poked her head out of the bedroom. "That bitch," she said coldly.

"Don't say that about my mum!" Percy cried. "I know she's crazy and all but…"

She glared at him. "So are you going to 'think it over'?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, incredulous.

She sniffed. "She hates me. She'll never like me."

Percy walked over to her and grasped her hands. "Penny, I love you. I don't care if the whole world hates you. Mum'll come around, and besides, Fred and George and Ginny like you. I'm not sure you'd want to be a Weasley anyway. We're absolutely bonkers, and we procreate like rabbits."

She leaned against the doorway, smirking. "Speaking of procreating…"

Percy almost spit out his tea. "Just as long as you don't wear those panties. My mother touched them."

**OOOOOOO**

A/N: Yes, I fudged canon here and pretended that Percy moved out sometime in GoF. I feel like it's in-character and doesn't make a lick of difference in canon. So there.


End file.
